Kicking Zane out of the room was one of the hardest things I’d done in a long time. Every time we were together, the feelings grew stronger. I needed to cut ties before I got my heart ripped out. There was no way Zane would want to be with me once he found out I couldn’t have kids. Men like Zane need to continue their family line.

Thinking I could sleep with a man like Zane and not become attached was stupid. It was supposed to be a fling. Screw the man and get him out of my system. The problem was that every time we were together, he crept into my heart a little bit.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to get my emotions under control. We were meeting in Zane’s room in fifteen minutes. But when I closed my eyes, I saw his shaken look, which turned into disappointment. I could handle anger. Disappointment made my stomach curdle.

It was hard not to fall into bed with the man. His muscles had muscles. His scruff. His tongue. I had to shake my head to get rid of the images of Zane that kept coming back, leaving my body in a permanently heightened state.

Glancing at the clock, I saw I was running behind. The X-rated images of Zane had my brain going out of control. I wanted to kill him and keep him all at the same time. I knew I would never get to have him in my life permanently. For starters, his family was one of the most prominent families around. I grew up in foster care and spent my time hacking into criminals’ computers. Prestigious families like Zane’s expect to have biological kids. That choice was taken from me years ago and I chose not to burden others with my pain.

Since Zane’s room was next to mine, we had a connecting door. Every step toward the door made it feel as if my feet were sinking in quicksand. I knew I needed to face Zane. He was helping me get Kat back. But, when I reached for the door handle, the door swung open with an angry Zane on the other side. Damn, that man was hot even when he was angry. It seemed as if he could read my mind, as his angry scowl turned into a cocky grin.

“Sophie, it’s about time you join us.”

I was a couple of minutes late. The man knew I was on the other side of the door. If it was an emergency, he could have knocked or come over. Not justifying his answer with a response, I rolled my eyes and brushed past him into his hotel suite.

Antonio looked up from checking his gun and nodded.

Needing space from Zane, I sat next to Antonio. With a motion of Zane’s hand, the big bad Antonio vacated the spot. Traitor. Zane’s muscular scent was intoxicating and made it hard to concentrate on the mission, and getting Kat back was one of the most critical missions of my life.

The tension in the room was high. I wanted Kat back, and Antonio was going after his supposedly dead wife. Zane cleared his throat. It was time to start the briefing. He started the discussion with a recap of the new information regarding Sanchez. I was still numb from the news that he was our legal guardian and was using us to access our alleged trust fund.

When Zane finished the briefing, he asked Brock, “Do you or your team have anything else to add?”

I was embarrassed to be around Brock and his team. We had spent years hacking and taking people down. I considered myself one of the best hackers around. I wasn’t being cocky. I was good, but for some reason, when it came to my life, I didn’t investigate or use the tools around me.

At the sound of Brock’s voice, I looked up at the screen. He was chewing a piece of licorice. I swore the man had stock in a licorice company with how much of it he ate. “We’ve been monitoring the house using satellite cameras, and we borrowed the feed of one of the neighbor's cameras.”

Zane leaned back in the chair and ran his hand over his scruff. “Any changes.”

“The house next door has two guards in it. I got a facial recognition on them. They are guns for hire, so they could work for either Yermushin or Sanchez. They don’t have any other surveillance on her. I got the camera feed they have pointed at her house. I took the feed and made a loop. When you head their way, I will switch over to the feed I created.”

I could tell Zane was thinking about something. He had a look of determination. “Once we have Kat, you need to erase the footage and any tampering you did.”

I had to hold back a chuckle. The look on Brock’s face was priceless. Zane hadn’t worked with him before. He was good and would’ve covered his steps.

Brock’s voice turned deadly. “You work in the field. I work behind the computer making sure you don’t get killed. I know how to do my job. Never question my work.”

Zane held up his hands in defeat. “Sorry, man. I’m used to working with analysts or on my own.”

“Don’t worry about it. I planted a virus in the system. No one will know the footage is different. The drives will automatically DOD wipe, and the data on the drives will not be able to be retrieved.”

Mia chimed into the video conference. “The guards ordered takeout. We had one of our contacts in New York drop sleeping pills in the food. They will be out cold for the next few hours. You need to be gone.”

“Let's head out in fifteen minutes. I need a moment with Sophie.” The room cleared, and our connection to Brock went black.

Zane’s dark eyes leveled me with an intensity that almost knocked me over. I could tell he was still fuming about me kicking him out of my room earlier. His desire for me also shone in his eyes. He raked his eyes over my body, and I knew it wasn’t to make sure I was wearing proper clothes for the mission.

“I wish you would consider staying back.” There was a hint of hope in his voice.

There was no way I was staying back on this mission. I had been away from Kat for too long, and if he tried to keep me away, I would just find an alternate way to go.

“I know.” I shrugged my shoulders, not caring about what he wanted. “I’m going anyway. Would you stay back if it was your brother?”

Zane walked over and wrapped me in his arms. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I know you feel what is going on between us.”

I couldn’t think when Zane was so close. I pushed on his chest to get room. I needed to get my mind off Zane. When he was close, all I could think about was being with him, and that could never happen again.

“The only thing between us is lust.”

“Bullshit.”

“Zane, there can never be more, and we need to stop this before one of us gets hurt.” I knew it would be me that ended up heart-broken. It was already tearing me apart to push him away, and if we spent much more time together, it would be even harder.

He ran his hand though his scruff, letting out a growl. “Whatever is holding you back, we can get through it, whatever it is. Once we get Kat back tonight, we will sit down and figure it out.”

Kat is all I needed. Once I got her back, I would be on my way back to Ft. Lauderdale with my sister, and Zane would be on his way back to DC.

“You think tomorrow you can go your separate way and forget about what is between us.” At the shake of my head, he said, “I see it in your eyes. I’m not sure what is between us, but it is not ending tonight.”

When I went to respond, the hotel door swung open, and Antonio and John walked back in. They were both dressed in full tactical gear. Antonio had a look of determination on his face. This mission was as vital to him as it was to me. He was going after his wife and a son he had never met.

“Time to roll,” Antonio grunted and motioned toward the door.

Zane grabbed his sig and holstered it. As he walked toward the door, he stopped and whispered in my ear. “Don’t even think we are close to being done.”

Before I had time to respond, he was heading out the door, and Antonio was giving me an irritated look for dragging my feet.

* * *

Kat

I’d spent years mourning my family only to find out my sister was alive. Nothing made sense. Why hadn’t Juan called and told me before going on TV? I looked down at my phone, noticing the thirteen missed calls. Okay, I hadn’t answered his calls before the broadcast.

What if they didn’t find her and I had to go through losing my sister all over again? I’ve had so much heartache. Every time I looked at Antonio Jr., my heart ached for the only man I’d ever loved.

I wanted out of the agency. When I was younger and had so much anger about losing my family, it was easy to put it into the fieldwork.

Juan told me that if I did this one last favor, he would help me find the people behind Antonio’s death. I hated being around these men. What Juan didn’t know was that I’d been watching his dealings. He’d been sending me on cases for the last five years, saying I was helping the United States government. But, the recent case was too much. He wanted me to take out a family. Every case he had me work, I researched. If I didn’t feel like the people deserved it, I sent them to a little town in Africa. One day I would have to visit the city that was comprised of the people I’d saved from Juan’s corruption. I paid for them to go away and faked their deaths.

I didn’t plan on letting Yermushin get away with selling the nuclear codes he had. The problem was that the deal was going down at the charity event tomorrow. I was trying to come up with a plan to stop it or change out the codes somehow. The only way Yermushin could have gotten the codes were from Juan, but now he was sending a plane to take Antonio and me back to Ft Lauderdale tomorrow morning to help find my sister.

Yermushin thought that, after the codes were sold, he was done working for Juan. Juan’s primary plan was for the nuclear codes to be sold, and the money to be put into his account. Yermushin thought I was there as his bodyguard, but my primary mission was to take him out.

How could my sister possibly be alive after all these years? How could she not come looking for me? Maybe Juan had figured out my plan and was doing this so I was unable to go to the charity event tomorrow night. The codes were on a black thumb drive. Perhaps I’d go to the charity event and fly home afterward. I needed to get the thumb drive before it was sold to North Korea.

“Mommy, why do you look so sad?” Antonio was my light. I’d had so many dark days in my life, but he was the one thing that kept me going. I hated taking him on missions. This one had lasted a few months. Yermushin had to gain trust with the North Koreans. No way was I going to be away from my son for a few months. Gini, one of my nannies growing up, had retired to New York. She had been helping me when I needed to go assist Yermushin.

Juan had also insisted on the bodyguard living next door. I didn’t understand why he thought a trained assassin needed to have muscle. I had my trusted M24 sniper rifle.

I reached down and pulled Antonio into my lap. “I’m not sad. I was trying to figure out a plan.”

“I saw Uncle Juan on TV. Do I really have another Aunty?” For a four-year-old, he picked up way more than he should. He always talked about his friends having big families and asked when we would get a bigger one. “I’m not sure honey. I need to find out more information.”

Antonio jumped down from my lap. “I hope so. You seem so lonely. Maybe aunty will have kids too.”

“Come on kiddo, it’s time for bed.”

Antonio ran down the hall to the bathroom. I could hear the water running. So many questions about Sophie roamed through my head. Would Sophie have kids? Does she know I’m alive and if so why hasn’t she ever looked for me?

“Mommy, are you coming?”

I was so lost in thought, I hadn’t heard Antonio head to his room. When I walked in he was already under his Marvel bedspread. Next to the bed sat a picture of Antonio’s dad. No matter how many times I looked at it, he still took my breath away.

“Good night, kiddo.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead. He is growing so fast and looks so much like his father. Antonio would be so proud of him.

When I was about to flick the light off, Antonio asked a question that made my heart break.

“Mommy, if aunty Sophie is still alive. Do you think daddy is?”

How many nights had I laid in bed hoping to see his eyes one more time or lay in his arms?

“No, I know daddy is dead for a fact.”

Needing to suppress the thoughts of Antonio. I grabbed a glass of wine and sat down with my e-reader. Nothing like a good book to distract you from a wondering mind.

The two main characters were running for their lives when a loud pounding on the front door startled me. I glanced at the clock and saw it was past ten. Who the hell would show up at this time? For the last two hours, I had been trying to fall asleep. Sophie kept coming to the forefront of my brain.

Another series of knocks sounded on the door. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Yermushin’s or Sanchez’s men. This was my private sanctuary. I had done little with the place since we moved in. The walls were still generic white and not decorated. Once this job was over, we would move again. The next time will be the last. One assignment, and I was done. One assignment until I went after the man that killed my one true love. This constant moving wasn’t fair to Antonio, and he would enter kindergarten soon. I hadn’t figured out where we were going yet.

When I looked through the peephole, I couldn’t see anything. I grabbed the gun from under the end table. I’d never trusted Yermushin or his men. I’d done jobs for him in the past, and it was time to part ways. After I took him down, I would need to go on the run. I shook my head trying to get my thoughts back in order.

I opened the door. Was I still dreaming? Antonio was standing in front of me, his forest green eyes seeing straight into my soul. My eyes trailed downward, not being able to help looking over the man who lived only in my fantasies, for the past five years. His black shirt molded against his chest, showing raw masculinity. When my eyes sprung back up and looked at his face, I was still not sure what I was seeing, as his lips turned up into a cocky smile. He knew I was checking him out. I didn’t move a muscle hoping everything would stand still, when movement to the right had me looking to see who was with him.

Sophie -- it might’ve been twenty-five years, but I would recognize my sister anywhere. Her red hair was tied up in a bun. She had slight wrinkles next to her eyes, showing years of stress. Like Antonio, Sophie was dressed in all black. She looked nervous and excited, her hands twitching at her sides wanting to reach out. Not one hundred percent sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me, I tightened my grip around the 9mm in my hand.

“Kitty Kat, you need to let us in.”

When Antonio’s deep hypnotic voice registered in my mind, I knew he was real and it was too much to take in. How could this be possible? He was dead. He died in my arms. My brain could not comprehend what was going on. The world went dark, and my body dropped.